B.C. RCMP arrest phone scammer in Burnaby who is in Canada on work visa

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      B.C. RCMP announced that they have arrested an individual involved in phone scams who has been defrauding citizens across Canada.

      The RCMP’s Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) section in B.C. has been conducting a joint investigation with Burnaby RCMP and Ontario’s GTA-Financial Crime Section into telephone scams.

      RCMP believe that the scams are originating in illegal call centres in India.

      B.C.’s FSOC announced on September 19 that officers arrested an individual involved in fraudulent phone calls that have been targeting victims across the nation.

      Fraud-related charges haven't been laid yet but will be recommended against the individual, who is in Canada on a work visa.

      Cpl. Daniel Michaud told the Georgia Straight that the individual is a male suspect in his late 20s who was arrested in Burnaby in late July. 

      "We are targeting organized crime where different individuals play different roles in the scams, such as being the person making the fraud pitch on the phone, people moving the money, or heads of the organization," Cpl. Michaud stated.

      Investigators are working with the Canada Border Services Agency to review the individual’s admissibility in Canada.

      Also, investigators found that a group of individuals have been operating money service businesses in the Lower Mainland that are believed to be used in laundering illegally obtained funds.

      A number of phone scams have been occurring throughout Metro Vancouver recently.

      North Vancouver RCMP reported that on August 3, a senior received a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson and who was in urgent need of money. Although she sent the money, she became suspicious and contacted police, who managed to halt the delivery in time.

      This past week on September 17, Coquitlam RCMP alerted citizens about an increase in Canada Revenue Agency phone scams.

      Meanwhile back in March, Vancouver police warned that seniors had been defraud of $3.1 million in five phone scam cases.

      More information about phone scams is available at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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